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Franken sees 'light at end of tunnel' on Minn. Senate race

(AP) - Democrat Al Franken said Tuesday he sees "a
light at the end of the tunnel" and expects to be seated as Minnesota's next senator.

The former "Saturday Night Live" comic
traveled to Washington for meetings, including the Senate Democratic Caucus lunch.

Emerging from the weekly gathering,
Franken told reporters he had been asked to give an update to the
caucus on his protracted battle with Republican Norm Coleman.

"What I did today was fill them in," Franken said. "There's
pretty much a light at the end of the tunnel, so I kind of told them
what was going to happen."

More than four months after Election Day and two months after a
statewide recount, Franken is clinging to a 225-vote lead out of
about 2.9 million votes cast in the state.

Coleman's legal team has
sought to overturn Franken's margin in court, arguing that
different standards were used to count absentee votes in different
county of the state.

Coleman, meanwhile, was in a St. Paul courtroom on
Tuesday, thumbing through binders of court exhibits as Franken
witnesses testify at a special court hearing. Coleman has been a
regular presence in court since his term expired on Jan. 3.

"Al Franken doesn't know the difference between a light in the
tunnel and the freight train that is coming right at him," Sheehan
said. "The freight train is coming, and it's Sen. Norm Coleman
being re-elected to the United States Senate."

Both Democrats and Republicans view the Minnesota Senate seat as
vital. Democrats would like Franken's vote on key issues to avoid a
GOP filibuster, and Republicans would like more room to maneuver
against Democratic legislation.

Franken has traveled to Washington regularly, meeting with
current and former staff. He calls himself senator-elect and has
engaged in listening tours around Minnesota.

Franken said he did not foresee a scenario where he was seated
before a potential Coleman appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Walking out with Franken, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said
Franken's report made him optimistic that Democrats would
eventually add another member to their caucus.

"They're being fair, that's why it's taking a while," Schumer
said. "Minnesotans are very, very fair in this, and they're making
sure that every challenge that Norm Coleman has made is given its
due. But ... the case is moving very well in our direction."